Best Telescope for Gadget Lovers: Celestron NexStar Evolution
Hailed “the coolest app-cessory in the galaxy” by Wired.com, NexStar Evolution isn’t just the Best Telescope for Gadget Lovers,
it’s a game-changer for amateur astronomy. This Schmidt-Cassegrain
telescope, available in 6”, 8” and 9.25” apertures, generates its own
WiFi network, so you can control it wirelessly using your smartphone or
tablet. SkyPortal, Celestron’s free app for iOS and Android, provides an
intuitive, user-friendly experience under the stars. In addition to
wireless telescope control, it also includes a full-featured planetarium
with over 120,000 celestial objects and audio descriptions for hundreds
of the most popular planets, galaxies, and nebulae.
As if communicating wirelessly with your phone
wasn’t cool enough, NexStar Evolution offers other enhancements to make
your stargazing experience seamless. It’s the first telescope with a
built-in lithium ion battery with enough juice to power a 10-hour
stargazing marathon. There’s also a USB port so you can tap into the
battery to charge up your mobile device if it’s running low. With
NexStar Evolution on the scene, stargazing will never be the same.
Product Highlights
- 235mm Schmidt-Cassegrain OTA
- 2350mm Focal Length, f/10 Focal Ratio
- StarBright XLT Optical Coating System
- Wireless Control with iOS/Android App
- NexStar Computer Hand Controller
- Motorized and Computerized Fork Mount
- Multiple Automatic Alignment Systems
- 40mm, 13mm Eyepieces; 90° Diagonal
- Adjustable Stainless Steel Tripod
- Rechargeable Battery, up to 10hr Runtime
This NexStar Evolution 925 advanced 9¼" f/10
Schmidt-Cassegrain is the first go-to telescope (along with the other new
NexStar Evolution scopes) with built-in WiFi so you are not tethered to your
scope by a hand control on a coiled cord. You can slew to all of the best
celestial objects with a simple tap on your smart phone or tablet.
Simply connect your smart phone or tablet to your NexStar
Evolution 925’s built-in wireless network, and you can explore the universe with
Celestron's mobile app for iOS and Android. The app has a database of over
120,000 celestial objects for you to explore, including a specially selected
list of 220 of the best deep sky and solar system objects that you will come
back to enjoy again and again.
You can use the app’s planetarium interface to view the night
sky in real time or to display a list of the best celestial objects that are
visible to you based on your time and location. You can then command your
Evolution 925 to automatically slew to the object of your choice at speeds of up
to four degrees per second, center it precisely in the eyepiece field, and then
track it flawlessly while you observe and enjoy at your leisure. In addition,
Celestron’s proprietary SkyAlign alignment procedure is built right into the
Celestron mobile app, so you can have your scope set up and ready to observe
within minutes. (If you don’t have a wireless device, or your smart phone or
tablet runs out of juice in the field, a conventional hand control is included
so you can still enjoy your scope.)
Celestron engineers designed the NexStar Evolution 925 based
on years of customer feedback. It has an upgraded single fork arm design with
many thoughtful features that combine to provide you with the best possible
experience out under the stars. For example, forget about buying boxes of AA
batteries to power the scope, or a bulky external battery pack. For the first
time ever on a consumer telescope, the NexStar Evolution 925 includes its own
built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. You can enjoy stargazing for up to 10
hours on a single charge, then recharge it at home using the supplied AC
adapter. You can even use your NexStar Evolution 925’s built-in USB charge port
to top off the other devices in your life that need to stay powered on during an
observing session.
Large, ergonomic handles make setting up your NexStar
Evolution 925 quick and painless. With a total weight of only 46.6 lbs, the
Evolution 925 is easy to transport, whether it's out to the backyard for a quick
half hour of observing or away on an all-night observing session at a distant
dark sky site. The heavy duty adjustable height stainless steel tripod features
lines etched on the legs to help you achieve a level, uniform height for your
telescope without guesswork.
Manual clutches in both altitude and azimuth give you the
flexibility to manually point the telescope when it is powered off. You get two
quality Plössl eyepieces to give you observing options right out of the box. If
you expand your eyepiece collection, you can store up to seven eyepieces in the
two accessory trays, one on the tripod and one on the telescope drive base. An
adjustable brightness red LED in the fork arm casts a soft red glow onto the
accessory tray in the base to make it easier to select a different eyepiece
while observing.
If you’re interested in astroimaging, the 9¼” NexStar
Evolution 925 is an affordable way to get started. It’s the only fork-mounted
telescope in its price range that offers precision worm gears, along with
improved motors, for precise speed control and low periodic error. With the
NexStar Evolution 925’s good tracking accuracy, you can capture images of
deep-sky objects like the Orion Nebula by simply attaching your DSLR camera. As
you progress in the hobby of astroimaging, you can add an optional Celestron HD
Pro wedge for longer exposures to bring out faint and hidden details in your
astrophotos.
Celestron's time-tested 9¼" Schmidt-Cassegrain optics and
industry-standard StarBright XLT optical coatings give you the bright, sharp
views for which Celestron is famous. They make the Evolution 259 a great choice
for visual observers and budding astroimagers alike.
The NexStar Evolution 925 includes built-in WiFi for
cordless operation, a StarPointer red dot finderscope, two 1.25” Plössl
eyepieces (59x and 180x), a 1.25” prism star diagonal, an AC adapter for
powering the scope and recharging the built-in battery, a computer hand control,
and a heavy duty stainless steel adjustable height tripod with accessory tray
Specifications
Alignment Procedures |
SkyAlign, 3-Star Align, Solar System Align |
Aperture |
235 mm |
App Database |
Over 120,000 including 220 of the best deep sky and solar system objects |
Communication Ports |
1 hand control and 3 aux ports for optional accessories |
Finderscope |
StarPointer |
Focal Length |
2350 mm |
Focal Length of Eyepiece 1 |
40 mm |
Focal Length of Eyepiece 2 |
13 mm |
Focal Ratio |
10 |
Highest Useful Magnification |
555x |
Light Gathering Power (Comp... |
1127x |
Limiting Stellar Magnitude |
14.4 |
Lowest Useful Magnification |
34x |
Magnification of Eyepiece 1 |
59x |
Magnification of Eyepiece 2 |
180x |
Max Slew Speed |
4 degrees per second |
Mount Info: |
N.A. |
Mount Type |
Single Fork Arm Altazimuth |
Optical Coatings |
StarBright XLT |
Optical Deisgn |
Schmidt-Cassegrain |
Optical Tube Info: |
N.A. |
Optical Tube Length |
22 in |
Power Requirements |
Internal Battery Included |
Resolution (Dawes) |
0.49 arc secons |
Resolution (Rayleigh) |
0.59 arc seconds |
Secondary Mirror Obstructio... |
13% |
Secondary Mirror Obstruction |
3.35 in (85 mm) |
Star Diagonal |
1.25" |
Total Telescope Kit Weight |
61.4 lbs |
Tracking Rates |
Sidereal, Solar and Lunar |
Tripod |
Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel |
USB Charge Port Compatible Phone
|
Yes iPhone, Android |
|
|
Package Weight
|
81.3 lb
|
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|
38.0 x 32.0 x 21.0"
|
In the Box
- Celestron NexStar+ Hand Control (EQ)
- Celestron StarPointer Finderscope
- 13mm Eyepiece
- 40mm Eyepiece
- 90° Star Diagonal
- Tripod with Accessory Tray
- AC Adapter with US, EU, UK, and AU Plugs
- Limited 2-Year Warranty
- Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25 235mm f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain GoTo Telescope
Based on Astronomy magazine’s telescope "report
cards", scopes of this size and type generally perform as follows . .
. |
Observing terrestrial objects (nature studies, birding, etc.) is
usually possible only with refractor and catadioptric telescopes, and convenient
only when the scope is on an altazimuth mount or photo tripod. Most reflectors
cannot be used for terrestrial observing. Scopes with apertures under 5" to 6"
are generally most useful for terrestrial observing due to atmospheric
conditions (heat waves and mirage, dust, haze, etc.) that degrade the image
quality in larger scopes. | No |
Visual observation of the Moon is possible with any telescope.
Larger aperture scopes will provide more detail than smaller scopes, thereby
getting a higher score in this category, but may require an eyepiece filter to
cut down the greater glare from the Moon's sunlit surface so small details can
be seen more easily. Lunar observing is more rewarding when the Moon is waxing
or waning as the changing sun angle casts constantly varying shadows to reveal
craters and surface features by the hundreds. | Very Good |
| Very Good |
| Very Good |
| Very Good |
| Yes |
Photographing terrestrial objects (wildlife, scenery, etc.) is
usually possible only with refractor and catadioptric telescopes, and convenient
only when the scope is on an altazimuth mount or photo tripod. Most reflectors
cannot be used for terrestrial photography. Scopes with focal ratios of f/10 and
faster and apertures under 5" to 6" are generally the most useful for
terrestrial photography due to atmospheric conditions (heat waves and mirage,
dust, haze, etc.) that degrade the image quality in larger scopes. | No |
Photography of the Moon is possible with virtually any telescope,
using a 35mm camera, DSLR, or CCD-based webcam (planetary imager). While an
equatorial mount with a motor drive is not strictly essential, as the exposure
times will be very short, such a mount would be helpful to improve image
sharpness, particularly with webcam-type cameras that take a series of exposures
over time and stack them together. Reflectors may require a Barlow lens to let
the camera reach focus. | Yes |
| Yes |
| Yes |
WiFi Tips for NexStar Evolution
Please note the following for the most reliable WiFi connection to the telescope:
Areas
with high WiFi traffic, such as large star parties or crowded public
spaces, can potentially pose difficulties connecting to the telescope.
Additionally, multiple smart devices and multiple WiFi telescopes in the
same area can generate conflicting traffic. Follow these tips to
maintain the most robust connection to your telescope.
- If you experience lag or connection problems in areas with high WiFi traffic -
To minimize possible connection problems in high traffic areas, select a
viewing site with minimal WiFi traffic. Numerous nearby devices with
WiFi enabled can contribute to unwanted WiFi traffic. Disabling WiFi in
nearby devices can improve connectivity to your telescope.
Alternatively, high traffic areas may require the use of the included
NexStar+ hand control instead of the SkyPortal app over WiFi.
- If you experience conflicts when using multiple devices to control a telescope -
If you have multiple smart devices, and have connected to the same WiFi
telescope previously with them, then be careful of both devices
unintentionally communicating to the telescope at the same time. For
example, if you have previously used your smartphone to control the
telescope and later use a tablet to control the same telescope, the
smartphone may interfere with the telescope connection. We recommend
“forgetting” the telescope WiFi network with any smart devices not
currently in use.
- If you experience conflicts when multiple WiFi telescopes are in the same area - If
you are using multiple WiFi telescopes and have connected to them with
your smart device previously, we recommend “forgetting” the other
telescopes/devices not currently in use. This way, you won’t
accidentally connect to the other telescopes/devices. This is especially
useful at a star party where more than one WiFi telescope may be in
range.